As is usual for me this time of year, here are my ‘best reads’ of 2021. Been a bit of a struggle for me in 2021, as I know it has been for many people. It’s times like this that had me reaching for some old favourites. So here is my list, in no particular order, of the best books I read in 2021.
1. The White Ship by Charles Spencer. A period of history I knew very little about. It concerns the only legitimate son of Henry 1st who drowned on a crossing from France to England aboard the White Ship. The tragedy had a huge effect on the line of succession, plunging England into civil war.
2. ‘The Life and death of Anne Boleyn: The Most Happy’ by Eric Ives. Quite simply the best book ever written about Anne Boleyn, no matter how many times you read it. Never been bettered.
3. ‘The Daughters of Edward 1st’ by Kathryn Warner. Again, I knew very little about the lives of these fascinating women, which is typical of medieval women. I often think of Edward 1st as the controlling, bullying father of Edward II. But where his daughters were concerned, he was an indulgent and doting father. Their stories were not quite what I was expecting.
4. ‘The King’s Painter, The life and times of Hans Holbein’ by Franny Moyle. Exactly as described. A superb look at the life of Henry VIII’s painter, Hans Holbein and his extraordinary, detailed portraits.
5. ‘Henry VII and the Tudor Pretenders’ by Nathan Amin. A look at the 3 pretenders who threatened Henry VII’s new reign - Lambert Simnel, Perkin Warbeck and Edward, Earl of Warwick. I’ve previously read boooks on Perkin Warbeck but knew very little about Simnel. The inclusion of the Earl of Warwick is a tragic tale of a miserable life, a young man imprisoned through no fault of his own and subject to the treacherous plans of others.
6. ‘The Song of Simon de Montfort’ by Sophie Therese Ambler. I knew practically nothing about Simon de Montfort and decided to purchase this book as a starting point. Ambler’s detailed and meticulous research of Simon and his family is excellent. This book is very academic but I learned so much about Simon and his circumstances. I’d be surprised if there’s a more detailed book on him.
7. ‘Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen of France and England, Mother of Empires’ by Sarah Cockerill. The best biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor was an incredible woman, and would have been whenever she lived. Queen of France and England, and mother of the Young King, Richard 1st and King John. Amazing!
8. ‘Henry VIII in 100 objects’ - by Paul Kendall. A fabulous collection of photos of objects and places associated with Henry VIII, some well known, others less so, and all in glossy colour.
There were some books I started but didn’t finish, some I wish I hadn’t bothered to finish, and I indulged in re-reading my favourite fictional historical novelist, Jean Plaidy. Hadn’t read any of her books for years, but still got my copies. Just fantastic to lose myself in them all over again.
